Potterwatch!
Potterwatch! is the name of the debut album by comedy/parody band The 8th Horcrux. The first pressing of the album was limited to 100 copies. The album includes the hit singles "I'm On a Broom" and "Witch" which helped The 8th Horcrux achieve a cult following in and around Ottawa, Kansas. Drama''!'' is currently The 8th Horcrux's most purchased physical studio album. The album was formerly one of the top-ranked wizard rock and parody albums on Bandcamp. It is now available exclusively as a physical CD through Kunaki. Recording The 8th Horcrux, comprising former Famosiz members Paul Thomas and Trina Sieg, began working on their debut recording in the summer of 2009. After a few months of recording, the band whittled their ideas to several key parodies of The Lonely Island, Flobots, Meredith Brooks, My Chemical Romance, The Beatles, blink-182, Bowling for Soup, Alien Ant Farm, The Who, Green Day. In the final stages of recording, the Green Day parody ("The Chosen One" a parody of "Know Your Enemy") and the blink-182 parody ("The Yule Ball" a parody of "The Rock Show") were shelved for the bands sophomore album. Several other parodies were added, including a Gym Class Heroes parody and a Bloodhound Gang parody. After the inital 100 copies of the album were sold out, the band began making on-demand copies. These second pressings of the album have been released sporadically, based on public desirability. During the Accio Awesome sessions, "Privet Drive" was re-recorded featuring Trina Sieg on vocals. The track was released on Accio Awesome. Subsequently, second pressings of Potterwatch do not feature the old version. Potterwatch!, as with many of The 8th Horcrux's albums, prominently features a color from one of Hogwart's four houses. The color for Potterwatch! is red, symbolizing Gryffindor. Release and Reception On October 22, the band released their debut album, Potterwatch!. The album was a surprise hit. The band had pressed 100 copies, and within three weeks, almost every copy was sold. The band received praise from many of the students of Ottawa High School and was even featured in the schools newspaper.Shannon, Jack. "The 8th Horcrux" The Review. 3 Nov. 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2011. The band later made a music video for their song "Witch." In 2010, noted young adult author Jay Asher, known for writing the popular 2007 novel Thirteen Reasons Why, received a copy of the album and cited "Ginny, Are You OK?", "Witch", and "Potions Wizard" as some of his favorite parodies on the album. He concluded that "Kansas rocks. Literally."Asher, Jay. "A Quick Trip to Kansas" jayasher.blogspot.com. Retrieved 14 June 2012. Tone Deaf, an Australian music site, named The 8th Horcrux one of the best bands in the wizard rock scene and called their single "I'm on a Broom" a "gem".Tone Deaf Staff. "The Best Bands of Wizard Rock" Tonedeaf.com. Retrieved 14 June 2012. Deluxe Edition In July of 2011, the band announced that the album would be remastered and re-released in a limited deluxe edition form. This repressing, released on August 16, removed the Harry Potter sound-bytes found on the original CD. In addition, the album was remastered and various songs re-edited, re-recorded, and re-mixed. Most notably, piano was added to "Join SPEW." "Ginny, Are You OK?," "I'm On a Broom," "Death Eaters," and "The Battle of Hogwarts" were all remastered to increase over-all volume, synthesized music, vocals, and guitars respectively. The deluxe edition of the album also featured bonus tracks and a commentary track. Controversy The album created a minor controversy when the song "Why'd Ya Do It, JK" was released. The song - a satirical commentary on the outing of Albus Dumbledore - was met with negative reviews by some individuals who claimed that the song was an attack on the homosexuality of Dumbledore.Snob, Wrock. "Whatever The Hell This Is, Part 1" Wrocksnob.com 9 Oct. 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2011. Paul Thomas and Trina Sieg have adamantly denied any sort of negative feelings, stating that the song is deliberately hyperbolic so as to be ironic (so as to satirize the media hysteria that surrounded Dumbledore's outing, as well as those who opposed his outing). The band, however, has conceded that the song was hurriedly written and isn't very good or funny. They have removed it from their MySpace and Bandcamp site.The 8th Horcrux. "The 8th Horcrux's Bandcamp" Bandcamp.com. 17 Nov. 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2011. Track Listing Initial Pressing #"Ginny, Are You OK?" - 2:52 (A parody of "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm) #"I'm On a Broom" - 2:37 (A parody of "I'm On a Boat" by The Lonely Island) #"Death Eaters" - 2:36 (A parody of "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance) #"Join S.P.E.W." - 2:21 (A parody of "Hey Jude" by The Beatles) #"Privet Drive" - 3:12 (A parody of "1985" by Bowling for Soup) #"Potions Wizard" - 2:49 (A parody of "Pinball Wizard" by The Who) #"Witch" - 3:38 (A parody of "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks) #"Why'd Ya Do It, J.K.?" - 2:31 (A parody of "One of Us" by Joan Osbourne) #"Ode to Ginny" - 3:06 (A parody of "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes) #"The Deathly Hallows" - 2:47 (A parody of "Handlebars" by Flobots) #"The Battle of Hogwarts" - 3:19 (A parody of "Fire, Water, Burn" by The Bloodhound Gang) #"Victor Krum" - 2:59 (A parody of "F--- and Run" by Liz Phair) #"Wizard Swears" - 1:30 (Hidden Track) Deluxe Edition #"Ginny, Are You OK?" - 2:44 #"I'm On a Broom" - 2:37 #"Death Eaters" - 2:36 #"Join S.P.E.W." - 2:21 #"Potions Wizard" - 2:41 #"Witch" - 3:38 #"Why'd Ya Do It, J.K.?" - 2:06 #"Ode to Ginny" - 3:06 #"The Deathly Hallows" - 2:47 #"The Battle of Hogwarts" - 3:19 #"Victor Krum" - 2:51 #"Join S.P.E.W. (2011 Version)" - 2:14 #"Potions Wizard (2011 Version)" - 2:24 #"Ginny, Are You OK?" - 2:23 (Live Version) #"Death Eaters" - 2:02 (Live Version) #"Witch" - 2:48 (Live Version) #"Wizard Swears" - 1:30 #"We're the Potter Fandom" - 3:34 (A Parody of "The Freshman" by The Verve Pipe) #"Commentary" - 9:35 (Album Commentary Track) Personnel *Paul Thomas - Lead Vocals, Computerized Synthesizer, Guitar, Lyrics *Trina Sieg - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Lyrics Media Gallery Album Sampler Album Art Gallery Cover Wrock Horcrux.jpg|Front cover File:Back_Cover.jpg|Back artwork File:CD_Cover.jpg|CD design References Category:Albums Category:Comedy Category:The 8th Horcrux Category:Wizard Rock